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Return To Book 3 Table Of Contents Delusions… Seizures… And Epilepsy! It was as I spent so much time thinking and trying to understand delusions and the issues of “fragmented thoughts”, and little or no communication among the various parts of the brain that a rather unusual thought occurred to me.
As I thought of this issue of delusions, and so many of the "other pieces" of this puzzle some of us knew as autism, others as Alzheimer's and yet others as schizophrenia, I began to ask myself: "What exactly was a "delusion"? Like so many other times, I had been taking a small break, simply resting on my bed as this thought had occurred to me. What exactly was a delusion?
Well, in its simplest terms a "delusion" was “believing something that was not real". That certainly sounded like temporal lobe damage in my opinion given the ability to distinguish between truth and a lie resided in the temporal lobe. But, a delusion often involved hallucinations - hearing voices, "seeing things", etc. Delusions were something that only the person having the delusion could experience. As I thought about that, a thought occurred to me - "delusions" seemed to have a great deal in common with something else – something else that was experienced only be the person afflicted by yet another “disorder”. Delusions sounded an awful lot like – an “aura” – so often reported in epilepsy!
An aura certainly was something experienced only by the person experiencing “the aura” and not by those around the person who suffered from epilepsy. Likewise, a “delusion” was experienced only by the person afflicted.
I knew that seizures often developed in children with autism – usually at puberty – as well as in persons with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s.
Epilepsy… puberty… the reorganization of the brain… neural degeneration… weakened scaffolding… short-circuiting in the brain… neural transmission failures… cell death… epilepsy… seizures…
And so began my search – into yet another disorder – for clues as to what could be happening in autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s.
It made perfect sense – if indeed neural connections had been somehow devastated – as a result of mercury or aluminum exposure, viruses, iron overload and/or nitric oxide excesses, it made perfect sense that the brain could be “short circuiting” as connections failed to occur properly in the brain. Seizures, in turn, lead to more brain damage – more devastation.
Blank stares… aimless wandering… “picking” at things or at clothes… “jerky” motions… these were all signs of seizures too… and every child with autism it seemed experienced at the very least – blank stares. I now began to suspect that perhaps – many children with autism were experiencing seizures long before parents had even realized it.
The simple fact was that a seizure or “short circuiting” could occur anywhere in the brain. Although seizures were most often associated with things like grand mal or petit mal seizures – seizures that involved the motor cortex, surely, a seizure could occur outside the motor cortex and as such, the “jerky” motions of seizures did not necessarily have to be present for someone to be having a seizure.
Seizures were common in autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s. Until this time, I had paid very little attention to seizures – knowing that they could develop in Zachary at puberty – yet not having reached that stage of development, they had been something I had pretty well forgotten about – until now!
It was a well-documented fact that those with autism often developed epilepsy at puberty (I suspected due to the reorganization and pruning processes in the brain at that time and due to the loss of gray matter so prevalent in those with schizophrenia - something that would surely result in seizures).
Note that epilepsy, for the most part, was not considered a "hereditary" condition! In fact, only five percent of epilepsy cases were considered "genetic"... and quite frankly, I suspected that "genetic component" to epilepsy had more to do with mercury or aluminum poisoning than anything and one's APO-E genotype (the "genetic" component that determined ones susceptibility to heavy metals). Over two million in the US had “epilepsy”!
Seizures could result from trauma. In my opinion, that could certainly include mercury, aluminum and/or iron poisoning, tumors - aluminum was a known gene mutant found in vaccines, infections - viruses were found in vaccines, stroke, genetics - mutations certainly could be caused by aluminum - also found in vaccines.
Note also that epilepsy could be triggered by - low blood sugar! Zachary’s “little glucose bottle at birth” once again raced through my mind! I knew other parents of children with autism state their children had low blood sugar at birth, too!
According to this link, http://www.epilepsy.ca/eng/basic.html, an "aura" was often a sensation experienced prior to a larger seizure. It was believed that "an aura" was a "minor seizure" – something that provided a warning of a greater oncoming seizure. Also according to this link, an "aura" could take many forms: a change in body temperature, a feeling of tension/anxiety, a sound, a taste, or an odor. But, soon, I came to see that an "aura" could be much more than that – my missing pieces were now truly falling into place!
“Aura Continua” [“aura continua” was a “continuous symptom”], an article written by Heinz Gregor Wieser of the Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich (Date of submission: May 4, 2001, Medline SEARCH DATE: March 2001) on the history of “the epileptic aura”, an article available online at: http://www.epilepsy.org/ctf/aura_continua.html, indicated that auras were classified into one of four groups: I quote from Heinz Gregor Wieser’s article:
"From a clinical point of view, aura continua can be classified into 4 types: (1) somatosensory (ie, dysesthesia phenomena that involve the trunk, head and extremities), (2) aura continua that involve the special senses (ie, visual, auditory, vertiginous, gustatory and olfactory); (3) aura continua with predominantly autonomic symptoms, and (4) aura continua with psychic symptoms (Van Ness et al 1997)." [end of quote, emphasis added, Heinz Gregor Wieser, Aura Continua, May 4 2001, Medline March 2001, http://www.epilepsy.org/ctf/aura_continua.html]
Well, this certainly was very interesting!
Dysesthesia was a pain or uncomfortable feeling one experienced after being touched by an ordinary stimulus. That certainly sounded very similar to so many of the “touch issues” experienced in children with autism. The “aura continua” seemed to imply almost an “ongoing” aura. How interesting again! That almost seemed to indicate “ongoing seizure activity”. The aura continua clearly impacted the senses as well as “automatic” functions. Most interesting, however, was that last part – having to do with something known as “psychic symptoms”. That comment would become absolutely – key!
Thus, depending on "where" in the brain the "seizure" occurred, it could take on many forms, including a "feeling in your gut", a migraine, a "sensation in your extremities", a visual, auditory/sound, taste, or smell sensation, "dizziness", and even something that could involve "psychic" symptoms.
As I continued to read this article, an article I encouraged all families to read, the “psychic seizure” certainly captured my attention!
The scientifically documented “psychic seizure”… now that was very, very interesting to say the least!
Note that in his article, Heinz Gregor Wieser’s went on to discuss what was experienced by persons based on the type of "aura/seizure" experienced.
Under the section on "psychic seizures", note that persons were said to experience “hallucinations, changes in reality perception, depersonalization, feeling of other presence, distortion of body image, forced thinking,” “heautoscopy”, etc.
So many of these things had been reported by persons suffering from schizophrenia!
Yet there was more within this critical article on the history of the “aura”… words like “positive” or “negative” symptoms – terminology found in schizophrenia, too!… and more…
Words like… “tingling… numbness… fear… sadness… emotional distress… déjà vu… jamais vu… memory gaps… memory recall… agnosia for body parts… phantom sensation… amygdale…hippocampus… sleep disorders… hypoglycemia…” – all words found in this article – along with so many, many more - that had now become all too familiar!
Particularly interesting were also the comments “schizophrenia and schizophrenia-like” in Table 4 of this article relating to “psychic seizures”. The fact that these two terms appeared on separate lines indicated that the author appeared to believe schizophrenia in and of itself was attributed to seizure activity. How very interesting indeed!
Having seen so many seemingly unfounded “name changes” throughout my research, I was very much of the opinion that: “If it looked like a duck, quacked like a duck, walked like a duck… it was probably – a duck”. And hence, “If it looked like schizophrenia, sounded like schizophrenia, and acted like schizophrenia… it probably was - schizophrenia”!
But, wait a minute… for over one hundred years society had been told that schizophrenia was “genetic”. Yet, it very much appeared to me that what was being described in this article was what we saw in schizophrenia. If this indeed was what we were seeing in schizophrenia, this certainly appeared to be another “nail in the coffin” for the “genetic link” to autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s since epilepsy was not considered a “genetic” disorder! But there was yet, another “nail in the coffin” – at least in my opinion.
Dr. Bernard Rimland, a man who had devoted his life to the study of autism, had clearly implicated vitamin B6 in autism. Indeed, vitamin B6 was so poorly absorbed in children with autism that one of the supplements formulated by Dr. Rimland and Kirkman Labs – a company devoted specifically to the research of autism and the making of supplements for these children – provided for so much vitamin B6 that it came out to 25,000% the % Daily Value Requirement! That was not a “typo” – it was twenty five thousand percent!
Particularly interesting was this link: http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/gen_info.html.
Under the "general info" for the above link, there was a section entitled "Seizure-Provoking Factors". If you looked at that, you saw a section on "Nutritional Deficiencies: Vitamins and Minerals. Note that vitamin B6 deficiency - a "hallmark" of autism – was one of the only things scientifically known to cause or increase the risk of seizures. Note also that this deficiency was said to be most common in newborns and infants. Dr. Rimland had consistently argued that Vitamin B6 helped children with autism!
This certainly made me wonder if B6 levels, like iron and glucose levels had the potential to become a screening tool for children “at risk” for autism.
Low levels of calcium, magnesium and sodium also appeared to play a possible role – all issues in autism also.
Perhaps instead of having MRIs – what children with autism and persons with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s really needed were EEGs to determine the presence or absence of seizures!
An EEG was a device used to monitor electrical activity in the brain. This was done using metal electrodes (eight to sixteen of them usually) placed on the head of the subject. The electrical activity in the brain was passed from the electrode to an amplifier and recorded on paper as “brain waves”. Abnormal “brain wave” patterns were indicative of possible problem areas involving seizures, cell death, etc. Although families were often referred for special tests like EEGs and/or MRIs, I had concerns with some of these procedures.
EEGs were not “one hundred percent” in detecting problems. Furthermore, many seizures could also occur without the person even realizing there was a problem and as such, there could certainly be seizure activity without one even suspecting that it was happening.
In my opinion, based on all the brain damage in these disorders, autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's could very well be - "epilepsy at its worse"!
Epilepsy – another disorder – with “cause unknown” – although in this case – the cause was – by some estimates - in up to ninety nine percent of cases known to be “not genetic”!
Well, I was starting to have a very, very good understanding as to why the pharmaceutical industry and government agencies involved in vaccination programs had been so adamant in their fight against parents of children with autism. Now more than ever, it was clear – at least in my opinion – that the puzzle I had once only known as “autism” – involved much, much more than simply “autism”. I now had a much better understanding of perhaps why the government had wanted to limit the liability of the pharmaceutical industry in matters relating to vaccine injury and, perhaps, of why the government had moved – although unsuccessfully - to seal the records of all lawsuits involving vaccine injury… I now understood – so much more!
It seemed to me that the person who unraveled “autism” would unravel not only “autism”, but potentially many, many other disorders as well!
Autism… schizophrenia… Alzheimer’s… diabetes… jaundice… Rh factor incompatibility… epilepsy… stroke… cancer… liver failure… kidney failure… ALD… multiple sclerosis… bi-polar… Parkinsons… and, on, and on, and on… so many disorders that now very much appeared to have connections to all of this!
Mercury was known to suppress lithium levels – persons with bipolar were usually treated with “lithium”. Parkinson’s, a disorder so closely associated with Alzheimer’s, was nothing more than a shade of the same thing with a greater impact in the motor cortex. I certainly hoped that all this would provide for those in science and society – a little more motivation for getting to the truth when it came to the autism-vaccine connection – I knew it certainly would – for families!
There was so much more I, personally, needed to understand – and now – that very much included – epilepsy!
As I studied epilepsy, I came to recognize, as surely, would other parents of children with autism, many symptoms of seizures - rolling eyes, fluttering of eyelids, blank stares - things I had seen in my own son at times - and many other signs that seemed all too common in autism, Alzheimer's and schizophrenia.
I soon discovered that flashing lights and rapid color changes were known to trigger seizures.
Also worth noting was the fact that most new cases of epilepsy were diagnosed in small children and the elderly! Was this “just another coincidence"? As I had now stated so many times, my “coincidence comfort level” in all this had flown “out the window” a long, long time ago!
Also worth noting was that the frontal lobe, temporal lobe and hippocampus (memory functions) - all areas known to be very impacted in autism, Alzheimer's and schizophrenia were areas known to be most implicated in seizures!
This last link had some good info not only on epilepsy (note that some seizures could be hard to identify), but on mercury poisoning and Alzheimer's as well – it appeared science was starting to see the undeniable link between Alzheimer's and mercury! Note especially the things associated with epilepsy - brain trauma, infection (i.e., virus), low calcium, low magnesium, low vitamin B, low taurine, high aspartate and glutamate levels, problems with pancreas functions (insulin), kidney and liver functions, and immune system functions (i.e., allergies or gluten sensitivity), etc. - note how many things we saw in autism, Alzheimer's and schizophrenia were also associated with EPILEPSY – a disorder NOT considered “genetic”! [http://www.ephca.com/epilepsy.htm].
Seizures also involved levels of consciousness with some epileptics losing consciousness while others did not.
Could it be that delusions were seizures where consciousness was fully maintained? In my opinion, this was a very, very strong possibility!
Seizures were known to involve abnormal electrical discharges in the brain and could be associated with things like "starring into space", altered vision, difficult speech - although speech was not always affected, twitching, aimless wandering, violent shaking, loss of motor functions/control, and involuntary change in behavior. Seizures came in many forms and various intensities. They could start in one part of the brain and spread to other areas.
In my opinion, given the huge loss of gray matter we saw in adolescents with schizophrenia, it would stand to reason that gray matter loss would interfere with proper neural connections or transmissions and as such, that interference would most likely result in "short circuiting" in the brain - i.e., seizures.
Note also that persons who suffered from epilepsy could report having hundreds of seizures a day - likewise, persons who suffered from schizophrenia could report having hundreds of "delusions" a day. When you added in the fact that frontal lobe damage resulted in obsessive thoughts/behaviors, again it certainly made sense that delusions could be a form of damage to/seizure in several parts of the brain (i.e., frontal lobe damage resulting in issues with concept of “self”, temporal lobe damage resulting in inability to distinguish between truth and a lie or the "real and the "non-real", auditory delusions, and occipital lobe damage resulting in altered visual processing.)! In my opinion, the parallels between auras or epilepsy and delusions were simply too compelling to ignore – especially given “psychic seizures” were said to be “schizophrenia-like”… Hum…
Interestingly, glucose metabolism also seemed to be somehow involved in epilepsy. I mentioned this because I knew my son, Zachary, had been low on glucose at birth and had to be given that "special little glucose bottle" – that “little bottle” I simply could never seem to forget - to raise his glucose levels while in the hospital. I knew persons investigating autism issues believed that glucose and iron levels at birth could now be a way to screen children "at risk" of developing autism.
Because of all of this, it was my belief/opinion that "delusions" were actually SEIZURES involving the concept of self (frontal lobe), the psychic (i.e., possibly including matters of spirituality that may be well beyond our understanding), consciousness and many other parts of the brain involving auditory (temporal lobe) and visual processing (occipital lobe), etc.
In my opinion, autism, Alzheimer's and schizophrenia represented epilepsy at its worse as a result of massive neural destruction due to one or more of the following: mercury/aluminum poisoning, abnormal iron, insulin or nitric oxide levels, viruses – or a combination of one or more of these! I certainly was no scientist or doctor, but so much in these disorders was now pointing to “epilepsy”.
I supposed one could argue that “epilepsy” was the result of autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s. Perhaps brain damage from autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s would lead to “epilepsy” as opposed to “epilepsy” leading to autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s. Yet, blank stares – a clear sign of epileptic seizures – had been there almost from the very start with Zachary – and other children I also knew to have autism… and, also right from the start had been that “little glucose bottle” – a medical – documented sign of a problem – from day one – a problem that had been completely brushed off by the medical establishment – an establishment that had led me to believe this was “nothing to worry about”!
Surely, “blank stares” would be indicative of the occipital cortex having problems – but what about “the rest of the brain”? And, how was it that so many children had come to “develop” autism overnight – after a vaccination! Viruses/infections were after all definitely associated with the development of epilepsy! Viruses, mercury, brain trauma – all things associated with autism – all things associated with epilepsy.
That was not an issue for me. Mine was only “a theory” – although it certainly did appear to be a theory that explained a great deal in so much of what I saw in my son. I was all for getting to the truth – and certainly hoped that I could be proven wrong via the funding the appropriate independent studies. I was very much in favor of independent studies looking into all these issues! Indeed, let us once and for all get to the bottom of all this – to the truth!
My theory that autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s were indeed epilepsy – a disorder not considered to be “genetic” certainly would explain all those "blank stares", jerking movements, catatonic states, etc. that we saw in these disorders since these could all be indications of seizures! Looking back, I now knew Zachary had a problem from birth. Yet, I also knew that I personally, had a mouthful of mercury amalgams and that I had taken prenatal vitamins (high in iron) during pregnancy based on my doctor’s advice. Of course, doctors were taught in our public institutions and what they were taught was very much dependent on “government and pharmaceutical input”. Could that iron and mercury have made its way to my unborn child – leading to potential brain damage even prior to birth – in my opinion, the answer to that was - absolutely!
Zachary had achieved certain milestones – like any child – and then, he regressed! He had once used the stairs as any child would – and then, lost the ability to properly go down stairs. That was one thing I had remembered so clearly. I now suspected that this was due to his mercury-laced vaccinations – although I had no way of knowing for sure. There was simply no denying, however, that Zachary had been exposed to more mercury via vaccinations and that those vaccinations had assaulted his liver and brain prior to the production of bile and the proper completion/formation of the blood brain barrier.
It certainly was true – I did not yet have “all my answers” – but I would continue to seek them because only in understanding my son, could I best help my son – and I suspected that now, many more parents would become “researchers and investigators” as well! :o)
For now, I had to understand more as it related to – epilepsy!
It was a well-known fact that epilepsy could lead to more scar tissue or cell death as a result of seizures. Some studies also indicated that the use of heavy medications also posed a problem in leading to more cell death. I also knew that many persons could have seizures without realizing it and that some parents stated their children simply “outgrew” their seizures. Could this be due to the reorganization and pruning of the brain at puberty? In my opinion, that certainly, again, could be a possibility. There were so many things to consider – so many variables – so many unknowns.
As I thought about all this, I came to the conclusion that the worse type of seizure may not be that which involved motor functions, but rather seizures that involved the sense of reality, the concept of “self”, and consciousness - those things that really did not involve motor functions - those things that we saw impacted in schizophrenia - those things that caused a persons to literally - lose himself!
Professionals varied in their opinions relating to “prognosis” for epilepsy. In looking at so much of this, I had always wanted to know “how bad could it get” – “what would be the worse thing I could have to face”? Even on medication (and there appeared to be at least thirteen different types based on "type of seizure" and "symptoms") it seemed estimates were that up to thirty percent of those on medication continued to have seizures.
One of my previous neighbors had suffered tremendously from epilepsy. She had undergone a procedure whereby the corpus callosum had been severed surgically. Yet, even after that, eventually, seizures returned. The thought of allowing anyone to “cut” into Zachary’s brain troubled me greatly.
The human brain was obviously a fragile creation - and the possible use of multiple, heavy medications, as a parent of a child with autism, was now of great, great concern to me given I knew so much was "out of whack" in my son. In providing medications to control seizures, would medications provide but another “face mask” – a “face mask” similar to the one Zachary had been given when he experienced a potentially life threatening infection when just a few months old – a face mask that would only mask the symptoms and not get to the underlying issues – a face mask that would eventually be removed and potentially reveal even more devastation? The potential for “more harm than good” – for more cell death - from pharmaceutical products weighed heavily on my heart.
Needless to say, persons who studied/researched epilepsy independently had just become very valuable in my book!
I continued to search… to seek answers to my son’s autism… to look for my options… |
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